Prime Minister, answer the questions – Eustace

Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace is calling on Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves to answer the questions he asked of him last week.

Speaking on the New Democratic Party’s sponsored New Times radio programme yesterday, Eustace also demanded that former High Court registrar Tamara Gibson Marks {{more}}be held accountable for bank accounts which were in her care.

It is alleged that Gibson-Marks misappropriated more than $300,000 from accounts held in trust by the registrar of the High Court. She abruptly resigned from her position and left the country for St Lucia on May 21.

The Opposition Leader challenged the Prime Minister to “come clean with the facts surrounding the case.

“Why should people who do that go unpunished and there is evidence that she has done something that is wrong and corrupt?

“These are serious times; so many people struggling just to make ends meet, and are doing so unsuccessfully, but you have officials who make a reasonable living, who live at a standard much higher than the norm, siphoning off further funds to the detriment of the poor and struggling, and something has to be done about it,” Eustace said.

“The whole thing is just ridiculous and shameful and disgraceful and corrupt, and it can’t continue; it must stop and people must pay the price for violating the laws.

Last week, in a letter to the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader asked seven questions pertaining to the registrar’s situation, and in his correspondence, called on the Prime Minister to “clear the air.”

As he spoke yesterday, Eustace reiterated his call.

“Prime Minister, answer the questions. It is your responsibility to the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines to make it clear that you don’t tolerate and condone this type of behaviour in our country.

“What is the point of telling me that you pick up some young fellow for spliff and he gets some trouble… and a person in one swoop takes over $300,000 from one account and I can’t hear anything about that case.

“And (she) is allowed to leave the country? What message is the Government sending here? Prime Minister, answer the questions. You are the Minister of National Security, you are the Minister of Legal Affairs and most of all you are the Prime Minister.

“You speak on everything else; well speak on that now. Let the public know what is happening in relation to this matter.

“We cannot continue this way of trying to bury our heads in the sand like ostriches. You must come clean.

“You, Prime Minister, must do something about it.”